Before The Testaments, there was The Handmaid’s Tale: an instant classic and eerily prescient cultural phenomenon, from “the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction” (New York Times).

The Handmaid’s Tale is a novel of such power that the reader will be unable to forget its images and its forecast. Set in the near future, it describes life in what was once the United States and is now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with bizarre consequences for the women and men in its population.

The story is told through the eyes of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids under the new social order. In condensed but eloquent prose, by turns cool-eyed, tender, despairing, passionate, and wry, she reveals to us the dark corners behind the establishment’s calm facade, as certain tendencies now in existence are carried to their logical conclusions. The Handmaid’s Tale is funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing. It is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and a tour de force. It is Margaret Atwood at her best.

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User reviews about this book

Very good, differs from show a bit

4

By Subway33

Very good overall! Differs from the show a good bit so keep that in mind. Very clever and entertaining throughout.

wow

5

By vaping doesnt make you cool

this book is amazing !! i have been having trouble finding books that i can’t put down, and this definitely cured me of that. i read it in about 3 days, it is so beautiful. the characters are strong and this book has amazing feminist themes. i would totally recommend this⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Handmaids Tale is scary! Too close to home!

5

By TLHaywood

In today’s misogynistic political climate, this book hits WAY too close to home. It is frightening how society crushes women so quickly and turns them into property. Even though it is fiction, it could too easily become fact.

Don’t waste your time

1

By cjalldayy

The book was interesting enough until half way through I realized that there wasn’t any real conflict or overall stakes. Our character wasn’t trying to escape or scheming to get more information from the ppl around her. She wasn’t DOING anything, and everything was just happening TO her. She’s a very passive character who doesn’t grow or develop much at all. Which is very disappointing considering the social commentary the book is trying to make. I’ve read better books on dystopian futures with more compelling characters so don’t even bother with this one

Excellent But

5

By carocross

Would have liked more info on what happened in Gilead

LOVE IT

5

By Jackie Uchiha

I love this book along with Alias Grace!

A good read.

4

By jilirious

I was very happy with this book. At first, it struggled to keep my interest, but as I kept reading I found myself obsessively turning the pages—which hasn’t happened in a long time. As a woman, this book was very powerful, and opened up a lot of different thoughts. I would recommend this book, and I am looking forward to watching the movie/series adaptation.

The Handmaid’s Tale- A good read

4

By Mrs. Cassie

This book was an easy read as it kept my interest throughout. As a fan of the Hulu series of the same name, I must say their is much that happens in the series that does not happen in the book. For instance, many characters, such as Nick, Luke, Moira and Janine, are overly-glamorized and play larger roles in the series. We often see episodes focusing on these characters points of view whereas the book revolves around the one central character, Offred, and the story is told from strictly her perspective. Many quotes from Offred in the series come from within the book’s pages. The story does leave some loose ends untied and leaves the reader with the option to interpret the ending in different ways. All in all a great read!

Review of the Handmaids Tale

5

By hi...04

This is an amazing dystopian book, that truly showcases in gruesome detail what happens when the majority are the oppressed. It shows that no matter the conditions people still try their best to hold on to hope and to persevere.